PRESENTATION: The Padong are a people originally from Myanmar (30,000 live in Kayah State, formerly called Karenni State before 1947). About 500 Padong fled to Thailand starting in 1988, driven out by conflicts between the military junta and ethnic minorities in eastern Myanmar. Today, about 300 Padong still live in Thailand, with many having returned to Myanmar or resettled with NGO assistance in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

 MYTHS AND LEGENDS TO FORGET FOREVER:

1/ Wearing the famous copper neck ring called Zu Ka Baw (pronounced “Djou Ka Bo”) is not compulsory for the Padong women. They are free to wear it or not! (Note: In Myanmar, many Padong abandoned the ring after converting to Christianity starting in 1850. Nowadays, the incompatibility of this jewelry with modern life has further increased its abandonment). A 2005 survey of 36 Padong women wearing Zu Ka Baw rings in Thailand by Burmese ethnologist Naw Wah Paw asked why they wore the ring. Answers:

To be more beautiful: 5 women (13.89%)

To assert social prestige: 8 women (22.22%) To maintain tradition: 14 (38.89%)

For economic reasons: 1 (2.78%)

For beauty and social prestige: 2 (5.56%) At parents’ request: 4 (11.11%)

For community cohesion: 2 (5.55%)

Beauty, prestige, tradition, and community cohesion, i.e., values linked to individual identity within society, accounted for 86.11%.

2/ A copper ring takes 10 to 15 minutes to put on and 5 minutes to take off! Padong women regularly remove the ring depending on their activities. For example, in Ban Nai Soi village, some girls do not wear the ring on school days and only put it on during family time on weekends.

3/ Padong women do not die when they remove their ring! As stated above, they do take the ring off quite regularly!

4/ Most women interviewed said they do not suffer while wearing the ring (some mentioned mild discomfort during the first months that went away over time). Many place a cloth under their chin to avoid friction. Some (usually those wearing the longest rings) reported clavicle pain due to weight (some had bruises), but most in this situation chose to remove the ring either temporarily or permanently. Young girls (4-5 years old) sometimes have real discomfort when first fitted and the ring is removed, especially during sleep.

5/ The neck does not elongate (it is impossible to stretch the spine). The only notable physical effect documented by X-rays is a slight and gradual downward slumping of the clavicles, observed only in women with the longest and heaviest rings (a minority in Thailand, more frequent in Myanmar).

6/ Most Padong copper rings weigh between 1 and 3 kilograms. The heaviest (4 to 5 kilograms) are rare in Thailand and worn by only 5% of women, all over 35 years old.

7/ The theory that husbands of unfaithful Padong wives would cause their death by removing their ring is absurd and completely unfounded (as said, the ring is removed in 5 minutes and quite regularly!).

Today, Padong women face no pressure from their husbands to wear the ring (social pressure was undoubtedly stronger in the past). Many men under 30 interviewed in recent years support abandoning this tradition. They find their wives more beautiful without the ring. A similar phenomenon occurred decades ago in other ethnic minorities involving betel nut chewing, which stained women's teeth. For reference: Ban Nai Soi (40 Padong): 7 women still wear the Zu Ka Baw ring Ban Nam Pang Ding (120 Padong): 20 women wear the ring Ban Huay Sua Tao (100 Padong): 18 women wear the ring Ban Nana Pao (46 Padong): 14 women and girls wear the ring

9/ Tourism among the Padong began in Thailand in 1995 and in Myanmar during the 2000s. It is unrelated to the origin of wearing the Zu Ka Baw ring (which the Kayan have worn since 1070 CE). The Padong women are aware of foreigners' attraction to their rings and know how to use it to earn substantial income.

10/ Thailand has only 4 Padong villages (three near Mae Hong Son and one near Thaton) plus two small hamlets near Chiang Mai with around 300 people, over half of whom are children. Between 60 and 70 women and children are directly involved in tourism trade. All Padong women recently interviewed who were asked why they did not return to Myanmar (fighting having ended and political easing since 2010) said they preferred to stay in Thailand because they earn much more from tourists (150-250 euros per month vs. a Burmese farm worker’s salary under 50 euros) and it is easier to weave scarves and sell crafts than work in the fields.

11/ The Padong are not prisoners of anyone and travel agencies have no control over them! With borders reopened, they sometimes return home for a few days and send money to family in Myanmar. On a recent visit to Ban Nana Pao, a friend was about to go on a three-week vacation to Myanmar with her daughter (who does not wear the ring). The mother herself had removed her copper ring for travel.

NAME: The Shan gave the Padong their current name: “Yan Pa Daung” means “Karen who wear rings” in Shan. This name was shortened to “Padaung” and westernized as “Padong.” The group generally calls themselves Kayan (not to be confused with Kayah or Red Karen).

ORIGINS OF THE PADONG: The Padong likely originate from the Tibetan highlands. Mentioned multiple times in Burmese chronicles as Kayan, they seem to have lived in Kayah State (known as Karenni State before 1947) for over a thousand years. In the 13th century, Italian traveler Marco Polo referenced “women with long necks” living near Pagan in his book The Travels. Prior to British colonization (1824-1948), the Kayan had close ties with the powerful Shan, with whom they occasionally rebelled. The first Padong left their homeland in 1988 following escalated conflict between the Burmese military junta (SPDC) and Karenni guerrillas, which brought village destruction and atrocities against civilians. Many Padong families then sought refuge in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son province, where local authorities allowed them to build three villages. Although 30,000 live in Myanmar, never more than 500 Padong lived in Thailand. To satisfy tourist curiosity, a few dozen currently live near Thaton, Mae Tang, and Chiang Mai. Others, assisted by western NGOs, resettled in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand between 2012 and 2015.

ORIGINS OF THE COPPER NECK RING TRADITION: (explained in more detail in the author’s upcoming book). This tradition is very old among the Padong (not a tourist invention!). The oldest Kayan chronicles say it was adopted in 1070 CE. Several explanations exist to explain this unique custom:

1/ An ancient Kayan rite tells that long ago, angry spirits sent tigers to devour all women. Elders advised women to wear long copper rings so tigers could not slit their throats when they went into the jungle to find edible plants and roots.

2/ Another legend from Kayan mythology praises the beauty of a female deity, Ka Kwe Bu Pe, the dragon mother, primordial ancestor who gave birth to humans. Women wear long rings to resemble her and imitate her graceful slender neck.

3/ A more “historical” explanation states the ring was used to make Padong women less attractive to men of other tribes (especially Kayaw, known for slave trading), preventing abduction in frequent tribal wars in the past, after which they would be sold in Shan and Burmese markets.

4/ A final theory is that the ring preserves Padong women from marrying men outside their ethnicity. Note: Many Padong, like other Burmese, wear thanaka makeup—a white or yellow cosmetic paste made by grinding bark from “thanaka” trees (Rutaceae family). Women use it for sun protection, acne and fungal treatment, and mosquito repellent. They apply it mainly on the face, sometimes on other body parts, choosing patterns freely.

Text: Emmanuel Pervé